Jun. 19, 2010

Written by

LA PASTA BISTRO

Address: 7499 Longley Lane at Patriot AvenuePhone: 775-853-6099Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through FridayPrice range: $5.95 for all entréesChildren's menu: NoOn the Web: www.lapastabistro.comSEATSSmall space, but lots of tables. A private party loft is upstairs.EATSWhat kid doesn't like pasta? Many styles are served, including spaghetti and tortellini. Bread, soup, salad and appetizers also are on the menu.TREATS A $7.95 all-you-can-eat special, not listed on the menu, features choice of pasta, choice of sauce, either soup or salad, and garlic bread. Lively music plays in the background.

More

ADVERTISEMENT

La Pasta Bistro, off Longley Lane, offers a variety of affordable and delicious pasta dishes that make you feel happy about the spending power of your dollar and the quality of the food.

All 10 pasta entrées are $5.95. Choose from ravioli, tortellini, spaghetti, fettuccine, rigatoni, gnocchi and lasagne. You might think that for $5.95, these dishes would be served in plastic, but no: This food arrives on stylish white plates. The entrées are made from organic ingredients, according to the restaurant's website.

Although much of La Pasta Bistro's business is the lunchtime crowd or carry-out orders in the evening, the restaurant has plenty of room for families to dine in.

While there are no booths, there are plenty of tables to be pushed together to accommodate a big group. If you need more space, there's a banquet room upstairs. The patio and restaurant also are available to rent.

Simple and easy

During my visit, the restaurant isn't crowded, and there's no wait. That's great for a family.

The menu offers plenty of options for children. I order the rigatoni for my almost 4-year-old, and although she refuses the roasted mushrooms in the dish, she downs the pasta in its creamy sauce.

I order the $4.50 bruschetta for an appetizer and find the roasted eggplant dip that accompanies it to be delightfully robust. I also order the only sandwich on the menu, the eggplant panino, and discover that the accompanying pasta salad is equally delicious.

Drink options included beer, wine, and cocktails like a $5 Italian mojito. Since my tastes are rather simple, especially when I'm toting around the children, I opt for a soda. My only disappointment? It comes in a can.

Language lessons

Visitors to La Pasta Bistro place their order at the register and purchase beverages there as well. There is no server to tip, but there is a tip jar at the register. Employees carry plates to the table and clear those that have been finished.

The tables are white, the walls a charming orange and the chairs light green. Upbeat Italian-style music plays on the speakers. The restaurant is truly a bistro -- a small, unpretentious restaurant.

The location of the bathrooms, important when dining with young children, are actually next door in Café de Thai. But lest that sound far away, Cafe de Thai is in the same building. The two restaurants are operated by the same owners.

Some signs in the restaurant feature Italian printed beneath the English words, which means there's an opportunity for children to learn a few words in another language.

Perhaps I should add a few Italian words to my repertoire. Anything to have my kids sit still when we dine!